

H/ittle 



N. Moore Banta. 








































































































BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Books by 

N. MOORE BANTA 


The Brownie Primer 
Ten Little Brownie Men 
The Brownies and the Goblins 
Busy Little Brownies 
Once Upon a Time Stories 
The Fairy Primer 
Fairies of the Nine Hills 
Four-and-Forty Fairies 


Published by 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 







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COPYRIGHT, 1923. BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 




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Printed in the United States of America 


JAN -8 73 


©C1A692759 



PREFACE 


The fairies herein described, and the stories told 
regarding them, are ones that the author feels sure about 
which it would be wholesome for the child to know. 
The characterizations of these fairies are in accord with 
the best authorities on Fairy Mythology. 

The, six little cousin Brownies that compose the 
characters of this book are the principal house fairies 
of the leading countries of Europe. A vast amount of 
fairy lore clusters about these six characters. The 
author has set forth only the most important beliefs, 
and a very few of the stories, concerning these fairies. 
The belief in Brownies runs back into the dim past 
of our ancestors. 

The fairy story is ever a great source of pleasure 
to the average child. That is the reason it should 
occupy a very large place as an instrument by which 
to teach the child to read. 

The fairy story interests him. He thirsts to read 
it, and in proportion to his interest in the subject mat¬ 
ter about which he is reading will be his progress in 
reading. Most children will become good readers, and 
like to read, if they are given the proper material and 
proper direction in the primary grades. 

In recent years educators have more and more 
recognized the immense value of the fairy story for 


Preface 

primary teaching. It arouses the child’s curiosity, gives 
him keen joy, satisfies his natural love of action, and 
cultivates and directs his imagination at a time in his 
life that he so much needs these mental gymnastics. 

Busy Little Brownies is intended for use in sup¬ 
plementary reading in the Second and Third Grades, 
being equivalent in reading matter to any average basic 
second reader, the vocabulary being based upon the 
vocabulary of The Brownie Primer. 

New words are introduced gradually—only a few 
new ones on each page, there being a large amount of 
reading matter considering the size of the vocabulary 
used. Learning to read is like trudging up the rocky 
path of a mountain. The author has tried in this book 
to make the ascent as easy as possible by casting aside 
most of the boulders in the shape of difficult words and 
lengthy sentences, thus furnishing plenty of breathing 
places for the little readers. 

It has not only been the aim of the author, in the 
writing of this little book, to teach the child to read, 
and give him instruction in Fairy Mythology, but it 
has also been the aim to inculcate in the child-mind 
lessons in good fellowship, usefulness and duty. 
These little stories are sent forth with the hope 
and belief that they will find and bear fruit in the 
child-heart. 


CONTENTS 


Happy House Fairies. 9 

Out Among the Sheaves. 15 

Fairies Small. IS 

About We Go. 24 

Brownie Good Luck. 26 

Wildbean and Islegreen. 30 

Brownie’s Cousin Nis. 31 

Gimcrack and Timtack. 37 

Wrigglefeet and Gigglesweet. 38 

Jamie and the Brownies. 40 

Little Brownie Good Lad.'• 44 

Brownie’s Cousin Tomte. 47 

The Tomte and the Nis. 51 

Hickanick and Pickastick. 54 

Long and Short. 55 

Brownie’s Cousin Goblin. 54 

Nimblehop and Thimbletop. ^() 

Robin Goodfellow. 74 

The Brownie Whistle. S3 

Brownie’s Cousin Kobold. S6 

Brownie Clod. ^1 

Fiddlebow and Littlehoe.151 

Brownie Littlehat.152 

Littlehat and Brittlebat. HI 

Brownie’s Cousin Lutin.H2 

Six Little Brownie Cousins.H5 

Tweedledee and Needlekey.I 20 

The Brownies and the Hunchbacks.121 






























ILLUSTRATIONS 


“Most delightful little fellows”. 9 

“He likes to make hay”. 11 

“Brownies can find homes almost any place”. 14 

“At hide-and-seek they play”. 17 

“Jumped and skipped”. 21 

“About we go, two by two”. 25 

“Busy picking things up”. 27 

“They are cleaning up the kitchen”. 32 

“The Nis watches the house”. 34 

“Run and play with sleds”. 36 

“And to them his pipe did sound”. 41 

“Brings us loads of toys”. 45 

“Tomtes like to shock wheat”. 48 

‘ ‘ See that the chickens are fed ” . 50 

“Climbing up the cornstalks”. 52 

‘ ‘ Supper every evening at the right time ”. 55 

“Short and Long don’t match”. 57 

“See my little feet”. 59 

“Dog and Brownie fairly flew”. 61 

“Play in the merry greenwood”. 65 

“He will do the churning during the night”. 69 

“Feed the young birds”. 72 

“Robin Goodfellow”. 75 

“Take me up on your shoulders”. 79 

“Toot! would go the whistle”. 82 

“Playing fairy music”. 87 

“He had a habit of throwing clods”. 93 

“Have to stand there all that time”.. 95 

“So this farmer became a great checker player”. 98 

“Littlehat lived in an old castle”.103 

“He had only three pieces of furniture”.107 

“I will make you some presents”.109 

“A peep at the little Lutins”.113 

“They are good horsemen”.115 

“So said, so done”.125 

“This book we’ve read”. .128 






































HAPPY HOUSE FAIRIES 



“Most delightful little fellows” 


Here are some little men fairies. They 
are happy little Brownie men. 

Brownies are very small fairies. They 
are most delightful little fellows. 

Some Brownies look like little old men 
with wrinkled faces. Others look like 



10 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


small boys with wrinkled faces. 

They nearly always have short curly 
brown hair. That is the reason they are 
called Brownies. 

Brownies generally have slender legs 
and arms, and plump little bodies. 

Brownies are little Scotch house fairies. 
Their home is in Scotland, but they have 
travelled to many other lands. 

No house or farm goes well in Scotland 
without a Brownie. Most Scotch people 
think Brownie a very useful fairy. 

Brownie likes to work in the house, or 
in the barn, or out in the field. If the stor¬ 
ies be true about him, he is able to do a 
great deal of work for such a little fellow. 

He likes to make hay, shock wheat and 
husk corn. Threshing wheat and barley, 
and shelling corn are kinds of work that 
he likes. 

He will see that everything is well taken 
care of about the barn. At the house he 
will carry in the wood and carry out the 


HAPPY HOUSE FAIRIES 


11 



it that way. 










12 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Brownie does not want any pay for his 
work. 

It makes him angry to offer him pay, 
and he may leave that house forever. 

All he wants is something good to eat. 
He likes fresh honey, and a bowl of bread 
and cream. 

Brownie did a lot of spinning and weav¬ 
ing for one old lady, and she liked him so 
well she wanted to give him a new suit of 
clothes. 

She made him a little red hood, a little 
green coat, and little brown trousers. She 
called to him and told him what she had 
done for him. 

When he saw these clothes he called out: 

“ ’Tis not your garments new or old, 

That Brownie likes; I feel no cold; 

Had you left me milk or cream, 

You should have had a pleasing dream; 
Because you left no drop or crumb, 
Brownie never more will come.” 


HA PPY HOUSE FAIRIES 


13 


Now if the good old lady had left the 
clothes in some snug corner for Brownie, 
and said nothing, he might have taken 
them, and been pleased. But he does not 
want clothing or anything given to him di¬ 
rectly. 

Another lady tried to give Brownie some 
clothes, telling him where to find them, and 
he ran away, crying: 

“Give Brownie a coat, give Brownie a hood; 
Poor Brownie! he’ll ne’er do more good!” 

Brownie always wears some article of 
brown. Brown and green are his favorite 
colors. 

He often has some part of his clothing 
red, blue, gray or yellow. Those who have 
seen the Brownies say that they dress in 
brown a great deal of the time. 

Brownies do not always live in a house 
where people dwell. Sometimes many 
Brownies live together in an old vacant 


14 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


house or castle, or in some old church. 

They often live in a hollow tree, or in 
holes in rocks. Brownies can find homes 
almost any place they happen to be. 

Brownies are very joyous little fairy 
men. They like to play at all kinds of 
games that children do. 

They are very great lovers of music and 
dancing. 

Brownies generally dance in the moon¬ 
light, when people are asleep and do not 



Brownies can find homes almost any place” 





OUT AMONG THE SHEAVES 


15 


have a chance to see them skipping around. 

But people who know about these 
things say they can easily see the places 
where the Brownies have danced. They 
usually dance hand in hand, making a circle 
in their dance. So the next morning it is 
very easy to see the rings and circles on the 
grass. 

The Brownies are busy at work and 
play all night long. 

A great many Brownies have come to 
America. They like to live in this country. 


OUT AMONG THE SHEAVES 

The Brownies like to play hide-and- 
seek. They like to play out in the field. 

They wait till evening when the dew is 
falling. Then they go out among the 
sheaves of barley. 

There is where they like to play hide- 
and-seek. They like to play out in the 


16 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


field among the sheaves of barley. 

They like to play among the shocks of 
hay. They hide behind the sheaves of bar¬ 
ley. They hide behind the shocks of hay. 

Brownie Sunnyday says, “Now the dew 
is dropping.” 

Brownie Funnyplay says, “Do let us go 
jumping and hopping among the barley 
sheaves.” 

“That is just what I like,” replied 
Brownie Everglad. 

“Do let us play hide-and-seek!” cried 
Brownie Neverbad. 

“Let us all play among the barley and 
hay,” say all the Brownies. 

There go the Brownies! How fast they 
go! They are hopping first on one foot 
and then on the other. 

It takes a long time for them to get tired. 
For hours they never think of stopping their 
jumping and hopping among the sheaves. 

When they do get tired they lie down 
upon the soft leaves. 






“At hide-and-seek they play” 





























































18 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


When the dew’s dropping, 

The Brownies are hopping, 

And never are stopping 
Out among the sheaves; 

At hide-and-seek they play 
Out in the barley and hay; 
When tired, themselves they lay 
Upon the soft leaves. 


FAIRIES SMALL 

Once upon a time there were two little 
boys named Fred and Ned. They were 
twins and looked as much alike as two peas. 

They were born on Sunday, the thir¬ 
teenth day of the month. Now Sunday the 
thirteenth day of the month is a very lucky 
day. 

Children born on this day are nearly al¬ 
ways able to see fairies. The fairies will 
be certain to make them lucky if they are 
good children. 


FAIRIES SMALL 


19 


Now as Ned and Fred were good boys 
all good fairies became their friends. They 
were sure to be joyous all day long and 
have happy dreams all night. 

Their home stood in the edge of a dark 
old forest. They liked to play in this old 
forest on summer evenings when the moon 
was shining bright. 

They never tired having their grand¬ 
mother tell about the little Brownie men 
that lived in the forest. She would tell them 
about how the Brownies liked to dance in a 
circle. 

She said, “Your great-grandfather used 
to see these little men. He could play on 
the fiddle. Many times on moonlight nights 
he would play for the little men to dance. 
They would dance and sing as long as he 
would play for them.” 

“Oh, Grandma,” said Fred, “I wish Ned 
and I could see the Brownies.” 

“We will play for them to dance,” said 
Ned. “I will play the flute and Fred will 


20 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


play the fiddle. What fun we shall have!” 

“If you are very good boys,” replied 
their grandmother, “no doubt you will 
sometime get to see these little Brownie 
Good Lads.” 

“The moon is shining bright to-night,” 
said Fred. “I will take my fiddle and Ned 
will take his flute, and we will go into the 
forest and play for the Brownies.” 

They were soon ready. Away they 
went as happy as they could be. They soon 
came to a little open place in the forest. 

The moon was very bright. This little 
open space was lighted very light. Here 
the boys stopped. 

All was very quiet. They began to play 
on the fiddle and the flute. Very soon they 
heard a rustling in the leaves near them. 
Then they heard clearly the patter of little 
feet. 

Ned was so excited he stopped for a mo¬ 
ment, and whispered to Fred, “The Brown¬ 
ies are here! Don’t you hear them?” 



“Jumped and skipped” 











22 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


But Fred was so interested in his music 
that he did not stop. Ned began again on 
his flute. Just then they heard tiny voices 
singing right near by. 

All of a sudden twelve little Brownie 
men came dancing out from under a big 
tree. They came right out in the moon¬ 
light. 

They danced in a circle. They kept 
time to the music. They danced very fast, 
and sang all the time as they danced. 

Ned and Fred could see them plainly. 
This is what they saw: 

Fairies small. 

Two feet tall. 

With cap red 
On each head, 

Danced around 
On the ground. 

In and out. 

All about. 


FAIRIES SMALL 


23 


Left to right, 

Every sprite 
Whirled and tripped. 

Jumped and skipped. 

First, one by one, 

Around they spun; 

Then two by two, 

Away they flew; 

They danced to time. 

And sang a rhyme. 

Next, three by three, 

Most joyously, 

The little men 
Kept time again, 

As to and fro 
They all did go. 

For more than an hour Ned and Fred 
played. The twelve Brownies danced, 
whirled, sang and marched all the time. 
“Hello!” said Fred. 


24 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


“Hello!” said Ned. That was the end. 

In the wink of an eye not a Brownie 
could be seen. They had all gone. They 
left more quickly than they came. 

Many times afterwards Ned and Fred 
played for the Brownies’ dance, but they 
could never talk to them. At the first men¬ 
tion of a word the Brownies would vanish. 

Although the boys never talked to them, 
the Brownies paid for their music by bring¬ 
ing the boys good luck and happiness. 

ABOUT WE GO 

We like the moonlight. We like to play 
on moonlight nights. 

We work and play when the moon 
shines. Our day begins with the night. 

It is time to sport and play when our 
day begins. The dew is falling when we 
play. 

We like to dance by the light of the 
moon. 


ABOUT WE GO 


25 



Trip it, little Brownies. Trip it lightly. 
All trip it as lightly as the little bee. 

Trip it lightly, two by two. Trip it 
lightly, three by three. 

About we go, two by two. About we go, 
three by three. 


26 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


By the moon we sport and play. 
With the night begins our day; 

As we dance the dew doth fall— 
Trip it, little Brownies all. 

Lightly as the little bee, 

Two by two, and three by three; 
And about go we, and about go we. 


BROWNIE GOOD LUCK 

Once upon a time there lived a little 
Brownie who was called Little Brownie 
Good Luck. 

Now this little Brownie lived on a neat 
little farm. He liked best to live on a farm, 
for there he could always find plenty of 
work to do. 

Good Luck was a hard worker. He 
would never be idle for a moment. He had 
a great dislike for lazy people. 

He would not let lazy people live on his 
farm. He would not let them sleep well, 


BROWNIE GOOD LUCK 


27 



and punished them by making their work 
harder. 

Now little Good Luck saw that the little 
farm on which he lived was always very 
neat. 

He didn’t like to see any straw or trash 
blowing around over the farm. He kept 
himself busy picking things up and putting 
them away. 

Everything was always kept in its place. 
Weeds could not grow on that farm, for 


28 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Good Luck pulled them up as fast as they 
could start. 

He was very useful to the farmer and the 
farmer thought a great deal of him. 

Good Luck nearly always carried a very 
small load at one time. He would often 
carry only one ear of corn or one straw. 

Although he carried only a little each 
time, he always kept at work. He would 
never stop, so he got a great deal done any¬ 
way. 

Good Luck saw that nothing was 
wasted on this neat little farm. He picked 
up every head of wheat or oats or rye or 
barley. He picked up every ear or grain 
of corn. 

When the threshing was done, he would 
see that not a grain was wasted. He would 
pick out all the grains that were left in the 
straw. 

The farmer became richer and richer, 
and he seemed to forget how much the 
Brownie helped him. One night, when the 


BROWNIE GOOD LUCK 


29 


moon was bright, Good Luck was carrying 
a straw across the yard to put it away. 

The farmer happened to see him thus at 
work. He laughed and said to the Brownie, 
“What difference does it make whether you 
bring away that or nothing?” 

This very much displeased little Good 
Luck. He knew the farmer did not thank 
him any more for what he was doing. 

He felt very sad about it, for he knew he 
could not stay on that farm any longer. A 
Brownie will not stay on a farm where the 
farmer is not pleased with his work. 

So little Good Luck left this neat little 
farm and went over to the farm of his neigh¬ 
bor. With him went all the good luck of 
the farmer who had made light of him. 

The first farmer became poor, and bad 
luck always followed him. The second 
farmer became rich, for the Brownie had 
brought him good luck. 

Anyone who treats the Brownie with re¬ 
spect will always have good luck and be 


30 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


as happy as the little Brownies themselves. 

He who sets store by the smallest straw 
becomes rich. Neatness, beauty and hap¬ 
piness will ever be in his household. 


WILDBEAN AND ISLEGREEN 

There came two Brownies 
From over the sea— 

They came from Ireland 
To “The Land of the Free.” 

The name of the one 
Was jolly Wildbean; 

The name of the other 
Was joyous Islegreen. 


“This country suits me,” 
Said jolly Wildbean; 
“It is the finest 
I’ve ever seen.” 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN NIS 


31 


“I vote the same,” 

Said joyous Islegreen, 
As he turned both eyes 
To his nose between. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN NIS 

See these little fairies. They are clean¬ 
ing up the kitchen. 

They are called Nisses. They are lit¬ 
tle fairy men. 

A Nis is about the size of a year old 
child. Sometimes he has the face of an old 
man. At other times he has the face of a 
young man. He is often called, “Little Nis 
Good Lad.” 

The Nis is a house fairy. He nearly al¬ 
ways lives in a house, or church, or barn. 
He is sometimes called, “Old Man of the 
House.” 

He is a Norwegian or Danish fairy. His 
home is in Norway and Denmark. 


32 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 



He is a cousin to the Brownie. He is the 
Brownie of Norway and Denmark. 

The Nisses have plenty of money. They 
are all said to be very rich fairies. They 
do not like noise, but they do like fun. 

They like laughing and singing and 
playing. They will move away from a 
















BROWNIE’S COUSIN NIS 


33 


place if there is much noise and scolding. 

The Nis likes to dress in gray better 
than any other color. But he often wears 
a coat or blouse of green, blue, yellow, 
brown or red. 

He wears a queer little pointed brown, 
black, gray or red cap. He also wears 
queer little pointed brown, gray, black or 
red shoes. 

He changes his cap on holidays. Then 
he wears a queer little round red hat. 

No farm-house in Norway or Denmark 
goes well unless there is a Nis in it. 

The Nis watches the house. The house 
must be kept clean. 

The children must clean their shoes be¬ 
fore coming in. They must pick up their 
playthings. 

The Nis likes good, clean, happy chil¬ 
dren. He does not like dirty hands and 
faces and dirty clothes. 

If the children get the house in disorder 
he dislikes them. He punishes them by 


34 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


bringing them bad dreams, and hiding 
their playthings. 

The Nis washes the dishes and sweeps 
the kitchen at night. He 
brings in the water and the 
wood. He does many other 
things about the house. 

The maid must do her 
work well. If she does not, 
the Nis will punish her. He 
will bring her bad 
dreams, and she will 
find things out of 
their places in the 
kitchen. 

The Nis goes to 
the barn and does 
much work there. 
He stops up the 



“The Nis watches the house” 






BROWNIE’S COUSIN NIS 


35 


cracks in the barn to keep the cold wind 
from blowing on the horses. 

He cleans the horses and feeds them. 

The men must be good to the horses. If 
they are not he will punish them. 

They will find things out of order all 
about the barn. When the men are good to 
the horses they will find everything in 
order. 

The Nisses are fond of moonlight nights. 

In the summer time they play in the 
grass and among the flowers. In the win¬ 
ter time they play in the snow. 

They skate on the ice and run and play 
with sleds. They are good fiddlers, and 
are very fond of music and dancing. They 
sometimes teach people to play on the 
fiddle. 

In some places each church has a Nis. 
He keeps the church in order. He pun¬ 
ishes those who misbehave themselves at 
church. 

He dislikes cross grown-up people. The 


36 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 



“Run and play with sleds” 


sound of people scolding hurts his ears. 

The Nis wants all people to be pleasant 
and good. 

If they are cross and scold he punishes 
them. He makes their work harder. If 
they are pleasant and good he helps them. 
He makes their work easier. 

The Nis is invisible to nearly all people. 
In fact, most fairies are invisible to nearly 
everybody. Some people who are born on 



GIMCRACK AND TIMTACK 


37 


Sunday are said to be able to see fairies. 

The Nis may become visible if he wants 
to. He sometimes shows himself to his fa¬ 
vored friends. If one will stand just north 
of the sun and south of the moon, with three 
grains of wheat under his hat, he may be 
able to see a Nis. 

Many Nisses have gone away from Den¬ 
mark and Norway. A great number of 
them have come to America. 


GIMCRACK AND TIMTACK 

Gimcrack and Timtack, 

Brownies were of Norway; 

While very hard they worked, 

They still had time to play. 

To America they came, 

For they heard so much about it— 
They made up their minds 
They couldn’t live without it. 


38 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


WRIGGLEFEET AND GIGGLESWEET 

Two little Brownies came from Den¬ 
mark. The Danes called them Nisses. 
They were Danish Brownies. 

These little fellows were very happy lit¬ 
tle fairy men. One was always ready to 
laugh. Everything seemed funny to him. 

He liked to hear a funny story. He 
liked to tell a funny story. He had such a 
funny little laugh that his brother Brownies 
called him Gigglesweet. This name just 
fitted him as well as his little coat. His 
giggle was a very sweet little giggle. 

Now his brother Brownie liked to dance 
better than he liked to do anything else. 
He always had his feet going. He danced 
so much that the Brownies nicknamed him 
Wrigglefeet. 

When Gigglesweet would laugh Wrig¬ 
glefeet would keep time to the laugh with 
his little Brownie feet. So the two made a 
very happy pair. 


WRIGGLEFEET AND GIGGLESWEET 


39 


These happy little Brownies 
Liked much to live together, 

For they could bring sunshine 
In the very stormiest weather. 

When everything was dull, 

Then Gigglesweet would rise, 

And tell a funny story 

That would surely take the prize. 

Then after a good laugh, 

And all felt fine and new, 

Wrigglefeet came bobbing up 
With something new to do. 

He would spin around so fast 
He looked just like a top; 

Then he’d end the dance 
With a hop, hop, hop. 

So Wrigglefeet and Gigglesweet 
Liked much to live together, 

For they could bring sunshine 
In the very stormiest weather. 


40 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


JAMIE AND THE BROWNIES 

There once lived a little shepherd boy 
by the name of Jamie. He was a great 
favorite with the Brownies. 

Jamie was born on Sunday. He was a 
very good boy, so he was given the power 
to see fairies. 

He loved the little Brownie men. He 
liked to visit them. He liked to play with 
them. 

Jamie was a fine musician. He could 
play beautifully on the shepherd’s pipe. 
He would play for the Brownies to dance. 

He would meet the Brownies out in the 
woods. There he would play on his pipe 
by the hour. 

The Brownies would dance in a circle. 
They would dance round and round. They 
would dance as long as Jamie would play. 

They made Jamie happy all day long. 
They watched the sheep for him, and saw 
that no harm came to them. 



I 


“And to them his pipe did sound” 













































42 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


At night they gave him happy dreams. 
They made him a very happy boy all the 
time. 

Sometimes the Brownies wished to 
dance out in the field at midnight. Jamie 
would be sound asleep at that time. 

But the Brownies could not dance with¬ 
out Jamie’s music. They would go and 
take him from his room at midnight. 

They would carry him out to the 
meadow, and put him down among the 
flowers. Then he would begin to play his 
pipe. 

How happy the Brownies would be! 
Jamie would play a merry tune. The 
Brownies would dance a merry measure. 
They would spin round and round. 

Sometimes the weather would grow 
stormy. The clouds would gather. The 
night would be very dark. The wind would 
blow and the rain come down. 

Then the Brownies would pick Jamie 
up. They would carry him over the creeks. 


JAMIE AND THE BROWNIES 


43 


They would guide him away from the 
hedges. They would lead him in a smooth 
path, and take him safely home. 

Many times was Jamie seen 
With the Brownies on the green, 

And to them his pipe did sound, 

While they danced in a round. 

Very happy they would make him. 

And at midnight often wake him, 

And would take him from his room 
To a field of yellow broom. 

Or into the meadows where 
Flowers perfume the gentle air; 

When greater wanted they their pleasure, 
There they would begin their measure. 

When they were dancing thus together, 
And if stormy grew the weather, 

Safely home they then would see him, 
And from creeks and hedges free him. 


44 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


LITTLE BROWNIE GOOD LAD 

There is a little fairy 
Living in our house; 

Wears a little red cap, 

And little brown blouse. 


“Little Brownie Good Lad” 
Is what we children say. 
As we talk about this fairy. 
When we work and play. 


We never saw this fairy, 

But we’re very sure he’s there; 
He drives away sorrow. 

He drives away care. 


He’s a jolly little fellow 
Little Brownie Good Lad; 
He always makes us happy. 
And then we can’t be bad. 













BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

We’ve often seen his picture, 
Many, many times; 

And read a lot about him 
In the poet’s rhymes. 

Little Brownie Good Lad 
Works as he sings 

About the barn and house, 

And does a lot of things. 

He’s so very good to us, 

He brings us loads of toys; 

He must be very interested 
In little girls and boys. 

He’s a rich little fairy, 

Papa says, “As rich as cream, 

But you only get his money 
In a very pleasant dream.” 

But to us he once gave some, 
Gave us a lot of money; 

Left it on the door-step 

To buy gingerbread and honey. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN TOMTE 


47 


But he never shows himself; 

We always wish he would; 
A fellow ought to be seen, 
Who does so much good. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN TOMTE 

Do come and look at the little Tomtes! 
What funny looking little fairies! They 
look very much like the Brownies and 
Nisses. 

The Brownies, Nisses and Tomtes are 
cousins. The Tomtes are little farm fairies. 
They like to work on the farm. 

They work only for good farmers. 
Tomtes like to shock wheat and husk corn. 
They like to work in the new mown hay. 

Raking and pitching hay is fun for little 
Tomte men. They like to hoe in the gar¬ 
den, and pull up the weeds wherever they 
can find them. 

They like to dig potatoes, and pull the 


48 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


beets, onions, radishes and turnips. 

The Tomtes work in the daytime as 
well as at night. The farmer must treat 
them well or they will not stay. 

The Tomte is a Swedish fairy. He lives 
in Sweden. He is the Swedish Brownie. 

Every good farm in Sweden must have a 



“Tomtes like to shock wheat” 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN TOMTE 49 

Tomte on it. If the Tomte leaves, the 
farmer will not prosper. 

The Tomte likes a neat farm, and he will 
not stay unless the farmer is a neat farmer. 
So the farmer tries to keep his farm in order 
for he wants the Tomte to stay. 

He knows that the Tomte will not let a 
weed grow on his farm. The Tomte will 
also work about the barn and the house. 

At night he will dust the hearth, brush 
up the crumbs, and sweep the porch. He 
will put all things in order about the house. 

In the daytime he will see that the chick¬ 
ens are fed, and that they are kept out of 
the yard and garden. 

He will see that all the stock is treated 
well about the barn. Surely he is a very 
useful little farm fairy. 

The Tomte is about the size of his cous¬ 
ins, the Nis and the Brownie. He is about 
two feet tall, and has the face of an old man. 

He is not at all ugly even if his face is 
somewhat wrinkled. He has a sharp little 


50 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 



twinkle in his eye, and always has a pleas¬ 
ant smile. 

He likes to dress in clothes of bright 
colors. He nearly always wears a red or 
brown pointed cap and red or black slip¬ 
pers. He sometimes wears a red, yellow or 
blue necktie, and a red, yellow or blue belt. 


THE TOMTE AND THE NIS 


51 


Many Tomtes have left Sweden, and 
have gone to other lands. Many of them 
came to America. Brownies, Tomtes and 
Nisses live and work together here in 
America. 


THE TOMTE AND THE NIS 

A Tomte and a Nis 

Were husking corn together; 

They worked very fast, 

For fine was the weather. 

They had a jolly time. 

These merry little men, 

Climbing up the cornstalks. 

And climbing down again. 

They husked so very fast, 

Soon full was the sack; 

Then Tomte picked it up, 

And put it on his back. 




“Climbing up the cornstalks” 




























THE TOMTE AND THE NIS 


53 


To the barn they went, 

Laughing on the way; 

The corn they soon shelled, 

While sitting on the hay. 

Then said the Tomte, 

“We’ll take it to the mill. 

Out where the Trolls are 
Underneath the hill.” 

Soon they had meal, 

Very hard to beat; 

Then they made pudding 
So very fine and sweet. 

Said the Nis to the Tomte, 

“This pudding looks fine; 

How shall we eat it, 

Little friend of mine?” 

Said the Tomte to the Nis, 

“We’ll take some cream, you see, 

And pour it on the pudding 
For you and for me.” 


54 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


HICKANICK AND PICKASTICK 

Hickanick and Pickastick 
Were two Brownie Swedes; 
They lived in bonny Sweden, 
And few were their needs. 


“I like to live in Sweden,” 

Said Brownie Hickanick; 
“We couldn’t do much better,” 
Said Brownie Pickastick. 

“I have oft been told, 

I have it in a Jetter,” 

Said Brownie Hickanick, 

“That America is better.” 


“If you have it in a letter,” 

Said Brownie Pickastick, 
“That America is better, 

We’ll go there, Hickanick.” 


LONG AND SHORT 


55 


So Hickanick and Pickastick 
To U. S. came together; 

And happy here they’ve lived 
Through all kinds of weather. 

LONG AND SHORT 



“Supper every evening at the right time” 


There was once a Brownie who lived 
in the house of a rich farmer. The farmer’s 
family all liked the Brownie. 










56 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


They always took care to treat him well. 
They saw that the Brownie got his supper 
every evening at the right time. 

In turn he used to help both the men 
and the maids. He kept everything in its 
place about the barn and about the house. 

He always did all things that were the 
best for the master of the house. One day a 
very naughty boy came to work for the 
farmer. 

This bad boy happened to be born on 
Sunday. Therefore, it happened that he 
had the gift to see fairies. 

The Brownie could not go about his 
work without this boy seeing him. And 
this naughty boy took great delight in 
teasing the Brownie in every way he could. 

Once he sprinkled a lot of red pepper in 
the bowl of soup left for the Brownie. 

The Brownie took three or four spoon¬ 
fuls of the soup before he noticed how hot 
it was with the pepper. 

This caused him to roar and puff with 


LONG AND SHORT 


57 


pain and anger. He knew right well who 
had put the pepper into the soup. 

He at once set about planning to pay 
the boy in his own kind. It was now late 
at night, and the boy was up in the loft 
fast asleep. 



The Brownie thought he 
would go up and take a look at 
him. He went up to the loft 
where a big man and the 
bad boy were lying asleep 
together in 


“Short and Long don’t match” 









58 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


When he had taken a look at the little 
boy lying beside the tall man, he said, 
“Short and Long don’t match.” 

With this he took the boy by the feet 
and dragged him down to the foot of the 
bed. 

He then went up to the head of the bed, 
and said again, “Short and Long don’t 
match.” 

Then he took the boy by the ears and 
dragged him up to the head of the bed. 

But do what he would, he could not 
make the boy as long as the man. 

Still he kept on dragging him up and 
down in the bed, always saying, “Short and 
Long don’t match.” 

This dragging so much up and down 
in the bed gave the boy very bad dreams. 

He dreamed he was falling, first off of 
the house, and then off of the barn. 

The Brownie kept at his work, the whole 
night, trying to make Short and Long 
match. 


LONG AND SHORT 


The bad boy also kept 
up his bad dreams. He 
thought he fell off the barn 
and house a great many 
times. 

When daylight came 
the Brownie was tired. He 
crept up on the window-sill 
to rest. 

He sat with his little 
legs hanging down into the 
yard. The house-dog hap¬ 
pened to see him, and be¬ 
gan to bark. All dogs 
have a great dislike for the 
Brownie. 

The dog could not 
get up to the Brownie 
and it amused the 
Brownie to see the 
dog jump and bark. 

So the Brownie 
put down both feet, 










60 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


and began kicking them down toward 
the dog. 

He teased the dog, and kept saying, 
“Look at my little feet! Look at my little 
feet!” 

In the meantime the boy awoke and 
saw what the Brownie was doing. He 
slipped up close behind the Brownie, but 
the Brownie was so busy teasing the dog 
that he did not see the boy. 

The Brownie kept on teasing the dog, 
and saying, “Look at my little feet! Look 
at my little feet!” 

Very suddenly the boy tumbled him 
down to the dog, crying out at the same 
time, “Look at the whole of him now!” 

The Brownie fell down right upon the 
dog’s back. This frightened the dog. It 
frightened the Brownie. 

The Brownie held on tight. The dog 
started to run. Brownie clutched his fingers 
firmly in the dog’s hair. 

The dog was more frightened than ever. 


LONG AND SHORT 


61 



He began to howl and bark. Around the 
house he started. Brownie held on more 
firmly than ever. The faster the dog ran 
the harder Brownie had to pull his hair to 
keep from falling off. 

Around and 
around the house dog 
and Brownie fairly 
flew. 

The bad boy stood 
at the window watch¬ 
ing. Every time 

the dog and “Dog and Brownie fairly Hew” 

Brownie came 

by, the boy would laugh and shout, “Go it, 
Tige! Stick tight, Brownie!” 

After going several times around the 
house the dog jumped over the fence. 
Brownie fell off. 

You may be sure the dog and the 
Brownie did not like this kind of sport. 

The Brownie now made up his mind to 
punish the bad boy in another way. He 


62 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


waited till the next night while the boy was 
again fast asleep. 

Then he crept up slyly to the loft and 
carried the boy out into the yard. 

Now what do you think the Brownie 
did? He flung the boy over the house just 
as you would throw a ball over. 

Then he ran to the other side so quickly 
that he caught the boy when he came down. 

He pitched him back and ran around 
and caught him again. He kept on with 
this sport till the boy had been to and fro 
over the roof eight times. 

The ninth time he let him fall into a 
great pool of water. This made a lot of 
noise and a great splash of the water. 

The boy set up a loud shout, and began 
calling for help. To tell the truth about it, 
he was very much frightened. 

His loud shout wakened all the people 
in the house. They ran out into the yard 
to see what was the matter. There stood 
the boy in the middle of the pool of water. 



LONG AND SHORT 


63 


They soon got hold of him and pulled 
him out of the pool. 

“How did you happen to fall in there?” 
said they. 

“The Brownie threw me back and forth 
over the house eight times, and the ninth 
time he let me fall into the water,” said the 
boy. 

The people all laughed at him, and told 
him he had been dreaming. They told him 
he had walked out into the yard in his sleep 
and had fallen into the water. 

“Falling into the water is a sure cure for 
walking in your sleep,” said they. 

But the boy believed the Brownie had 
thrown him over the house and into the 
water. He was sure he was right about it. 

At any rate he wanted to make friends 
with the Brownie. He didn’t want to have 
any more trouble. 

He was afraid he might take a ride over 
the house nine times again, and then take 
a tumble into the pool of water. 


64 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


He woiild much rather be friends with 
the Brownie than to have this happen 
again. He really liked the little Brownie 
anyway. 

So he soon set about to make up with 
him. This was very easy to do for the 
Brownie wanted to be friendly, too. 

They, therefore, soon became great 
friends. No more red pepper was put into 
the soup for the Brownie. 

And the bad boy became one of the 
best boys in that neighborhood. He and 
the Brownie lived in peace and happiness 
forever afterwards. 

BROWNIE’S COUSIN GOBLIN 

Here are the Goblins. They are play¬ 
ful little fairies. 

They are cousins to the Brownies, Nis- 
ses and Tomtes. They are much like their 
cousins. 

Goblins are little fairy men. They are 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN GOBLIN 


65 



only as big as a little child, but they have 
the faces of men. Some have the faces of 
old men, and others have the faces of young 
men. But whether they look like old men 
or young men their faces are nearly always 
wrinkled. It is very hard to tell their ages 
by the looks of their faces. 


“Play in the merry greenwood” 





66 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

Goblins live in England. They are lit¬ 
tle English fairies. 

The Goblin is sometimes called Hob¬ 
goblin. He is also called Robin Good- 
fellow. 

He likes to live in the woods. He likes 
to dance and play in the merry greenwood. 
He delights to make his dwelling in a hol¬ 
low tree. 

Goblins often visit the homes of people. 
They climb down the chimney, or crawl 
through the keyhole. They are invisible 
to most people. 

They sometimes show themselves to 
their friends. It is said, if one will wear a 
four-leaved clover under his hat, he may 
be able to see a Goblin. 

Goblin likes to dress in gray, brown, 
green or red. He wears a pointed cap and 
pointed shoes. 

Goblin sometimes gets into mischief. 
He changes himself into a horse. 

He will let somebody climb upon his 



BROWNIE’S COUSIN GOBLIN 


67 


back. Then he will run away with him 
and throw him into a hedge or a pool of 
water. 

Then he will quickly change himself 
into a Goblin, and laugh at the person for 
getting wet, or getting scratched in the 
brush. 

Again he will change himself into a dog 
and bark at people to annoy them. At 
other times, at night, he will take the form 
of walking fire, or Will-O-The-Wisp. 

Then out in the merry greenwood he 
will lead boys astray. He will get them to 
follow him up and down all night by let¬ 
ting them nearly catch up to him. 

Then when it is daylight he will run 
away saying: 

“Get you home, you merry lads, 

Tell your mammas and your dads, 

And all those that news desire, 

How you saw a walking fire; 

Ladies, that do smile and lisp, 


68 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Use to call me Willy Wisp; 

If then you should weary be, 

Remember it is sport for me; 

Away, into your houses go, 

And I’ll go laughing, Ho, ho, hoh!” 

Although Goblin sometimes gets into 
mischief, yet he is a very useful little 
fairy. 

He often makes his home in a house 
where there is a good family. Then he will 
do all kinds of odd chores to help the peo¬ 
ple he likes. 

He will build fires, and have everything 
in order before the people get up of a morn¬ 
ing. If the maid will put the cream into the 
churn, he will do the churning during the 
night. 

If there is spinning and weaving to do, 
he will work at that. If fire should break 
out anywhere in the neighborhood, he will 
wake the people up so they can put the 
fire out. 




































70 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


He does not like lazy or naughty chil¬ 
dren., He tweaks their noses and hides 
their playthings. 

If children are good, he brings them 
pleasant dreams at night, and happy 
thoughts all day long. 

The Goblins have gone to many lands. 
They live all over the world now. Many of 
them have come to America. Here in 
America Brownies, Goblins, Nisses and 
Tomtes all live in happiness together. 


NIMBLEHOP AND THIMBLETOP 

Two Brownies once lived in a hollow 
tree away out in the forest. These two lit¬ 
tle fairies were often called Goblins, but 
they were really Brownies. 

It is sometimes difficult to tell the differ¬ 
ence between a Brownie and a Goblin. 
They are cousins and pretty much alike, 
anyway. 


NIMBLEHOP AND THIMBLETOP 


71 


Now these two Brownies that lived in 
the hollow tree were named Nimblehop and 
Thimbletop. You say these are funny 
names. Yes, but Brownies are funny fel¬ 
lows. 

The one Brownie was called Nimblehop 
because he could hop so well. He would 
hop first on one foot, and then on the other. 
He was so good at hopping that he could 
hop faster than most Brownies could walk. 

The other Brownie was called Thimble¬ 
top because he always wore a cap shaped 
just like a thimble. He one time found a 
silver thimble. He thought it so very pretty 
that he always used it as a pattern by which 
to make his cap. 

Thimbletop and Nimblehop were very 
kind-hearted little fellows. They saw that 
no harm came to the good birds that lived 
in their forest. 

They would help the birds build their 
nests. They would drive the enemies of the 
birds away. They would help feed the 


72 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 



young birds that were always hungry. 

You may be sure Nimblehop and Thim- 
bletop were kept very busy, for there were 
many birds in their forest. The birds paid 
the Brownies by singing fine songs. Here 
is one of their songs: 






NIMBLEHOP AND THIMBLETOP 


73 


“There are two Brownies 
Up in a tree. 

And they are as happy 
As happy can be. 

“Dear little Brownies, 

We’ll sing you a song; 

We’ll furnish you music 
All the day long. 

“We know you will come. 
When danger is near; 

With you in the forest 
We have not a fear. 

“‘Here in the forest 

With you for our guests 

No harm can e’er come 
To our dear little nests. 

“Then here is a song 
To Nimbletyhop, 

And here is another 
To Thimbletytop.” 


74 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


ROBIN GOODFELLOW 

There was once a little Brownie named 
Robin Goodfellow. He was often called 
little Brownie Good. His home was in a 
large hollow tree. 

The tree was in a great, dim, old forest 
with hundreds of other trees. It was a 
beautiful forest with a carpet of grass just 
like green velvet. 

Everywhere purple violets and pink 
anemones peeped out and nodded to each 
other. Overhead the great trees whispered 
softly, as if they were afraid they might 
waken the little birds. 

In and out among the trees a crystal 
brook went singing on its way. Oh yes, it 
was a very beautiful forest. 

In this forest lived a great many other 
fairies. That is what made it such a beau¬ 
tiful place. 

The fairies took very good care of the 
forest. None of the trees ever died or were 


ROBIN GOODFELLOW 



blown down. 

The grass 
was kept 
clean and 
bright and the flowers 
never faded. You may 
be sure Robin Good- 
fellow loved his forest 
home. He liked to play 
on the soft green grass. 

He liked the bright 
flowers and the sparkling 
brook. Best of all he liked the 
great trees with their waving 
branches and rustling leaves. 
, Sometimes Robin would 



76 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


climb to the very tip-top of the highest tree 
in the forest. There he would sit while the 
wind rocked him to and fro. 

One day he climbed the tree as usual. 
Just as he was seating himself a great bird 
swooped down upon him. 

She almost caught him in her great 
claws. Robin was so frightened that he fell 
out of the tree. 

Down, down, down he went and landed, 
plump! Well, where do you think he 
landed? Right on the end of a little boy’s 
nose! 

The little boy had been asleep, but of 
course this wakened him. He opened his 
eyes and looked around. Then he rubbed 
his nose. “Must have been an acorn,” he 
said sleepily and shut his eyes again. 

Then Robin stole up and tweaked his 
ear. This time the boy sat up and looked 
around. 

When he saw Robin he thought at first 
he must be dreaming. He rubbed his eyes 


ROBIN GOODFELLOW 


77 


and then looked again; but no, the fairy was 
still there. He was sure this time. 

“Hello,” said the boy. 

“Hello yourself,” replied Robin. 

“Who are you?” asked the boy. 

“I’m not an acorn,” said Robin. 

“So I see,” laughed the boy; “I’m sorry 
I called you an acorn. Won’t you please tell 
me your name?” 

“Since you are so polite, I don’t mind if 
I do; call me Robin Goodfellow.” 

“Robin Goodfellow! What a nice name! 
I like it,” said the boy. 

“Now tell me your name,” said Robin. 

“Oh, I am only Alan, the swineherd’s 
boy. I take care of the swine.” 

“But where are the swine?” asked 
Robin. 

“They are across the road in another 
woods,” replied the boy. “I came here be¬ 
cause it is so beautiful. Then I lay down to 
rest, and I think I must have gone to sleep. 
Now I must go and find the swine.” 


78 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


“I’ll go with you,” said Robin. “Just 
take me up on your shoulders.” 

Alan did so and they crossed the road 
into the other woods. They looked for the 
swine but they were nowhere to be seen. 
Then Alan began to cry. 

“Oh, what shall I do?” he cried. “I dare 
not go home without them. The swineherd 
will beat me.” 

“Just wait,” said Robin. “I’ll fix that all 
right.” 

He put a tiny silver whistle to his lips 
and blew. Out of the woods came all the 
swine, pell-mell. 

“Woof! woof!” they grunted and stood 
staring at Alan. 

“Oh, thank you,” said Alan, drying his 
eyes. “Now I must take them home before 
they run away again.” 

“I will go with you,” said Robin. “Just 
take me up on your shoulders; I’m going 
to live with you.” 

Alan gave a little skip of joy. 


ROBIN GOODFELLOW 


79 


“Hurrah!” he cried, throwing up his cap, 
and then he stopped. “But you can’t do 
that,” he said. 

“Why not?” asked Robin. 

“The swineherd 
may see you, and 
if he does he’ll beat 
you.” 

“But he can’t 
see me because he 
doesn’t believe 
fairies. I’m going 
to stay with you 
and see that he 
doesn’t beat you 
any more.” 

And the swine- 
herd never 
whipped Alan 
again, but he often 
wanted to. Little 
wouldn’t let him. 

Now this little silver whistle that Robin 



xz _ 

“Take me up on your shoulders” 

Robin Goodfellow 



80 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

had was a wonderful magic whistle. When 
people were bad he had only to blow this 
whistle to make them be good. 

The notes of this little Brownie whistle 
were like the stingers of a bee, or the stick¬ 
ers of a thistle to bad people. 

When the swineherd would try to strike 
Alan, little Robin would give a toot on his 
whistle. The swineherd’s arm would fall 
quickly without striking the blow. 

There would be a smarting feeling on 
the swineherd’s back as if a hundred bees 
were stinging him. He would be greatly 
frightened, and clap his hand on his back 
quickly. 

He would look around to see where the 
whistle came from, but he could see noth¬ 
ing. Toot! would go the whistle again 
right behind him. 

He would feel some more smarting on 
his back. This would frighten him so his 
teeth would chatter, and his hair would 
stand up. Another toot would make his 



ROBIN GOODFELLOW 


81 


knees shake so they would strike together. 
Robin Goodfellow soon broke the swine¬ 
herd of ever trying to whip Alan. 

In fact, whenever the swineherd was 
ugly and cross about anything, just one 
toot from the Brownie whistle would set 
him straight in a second. 

By this means, this ill-tempered swine¬ 
herd was frightened into being very kind to 
all around him. 

How pleased Alan was that Robin had 
come to live with him. What pleasant times 
they had playing together. 

Every night when the swineherd was 
fast asleep Alan and Robin would go to the 
hollow tree in the forest. What happy times 
they had there! 

Alan was never sad and lonely any 
more. Whenever he went to herd the swine 
he always carried the fairy whistle which 
Robin gave him. 

If the swine wandered away he had only 
to blow the whistle once and the swine 


82 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 



would come rushing out of the woods as 
fast as their legs could carry them. 

Robin stayed at the swineherd’s hut till 
Alan grew to be a young man. Then Alan 
went out into the big world to seek his for- 


“Toot would go the whistle” 



THE BROWNIE WHISTLE 


83 


tune and Robin returned to his home in the 
hollow tree. 


THE BROWNIE WHISTLE 

There was once a little Brownie 
By the name of Brownie Good, 

The best little Brownie 

In the whole neighborhood; 

Now little Brownie Good 
Had a little magic whistle. 

That blew sharp little notes 
Like stickers on a thistle. 

He made bad people good, 

When they wanted to be bad; 

If they didn’t change their ways, 
They soon would wish they had; 

When the bad folks were naughty, 
And were doing naughty things; 

Toot! would go the whistle; 

And they’d feel a hundred stings. 


84 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Then they’d quit being naughty, 

As soon as ever they could; 

And begin to look right pleasant, 

And be very, very good; 

For they didn’t like the feeling 
The whistle sure would bring, 

Like the stickers of a thistle, 

Or a hundred bees would sting. 

If a mean, cross old man 

Should start to switch a boy, 

And shake him up and scold him. 

And otherwise annoy; 

Then was just the time 
That little Brownie Good 
Would come running quickly 
From the merry greenwood. 

Toot! would go the whistle; 

And the cross old man would pause, 
His teeth begin to chatter, 

And his hair stand up, because, 


THE BROWNIE WHISTLE 


The little Brownie whistle, 

And its shrill little note. 

Made a feeling like a hundred bees 
Right underneath his coat. 

His knees would begin to shake, 
He’d soon let the boy go, 

Saying to him gently, 

“You’ll be good, I know;” 

And he wouldn’t try again 
To switch the little boy, 

Or shake him up or scold him, 

Or otherwise annoy. 

So the little magic whistle 
Has helped nearly all, 

Wherever it was blown 
To either large or small; 

Then here’s to the Brownie whistle, 
And to little Brownie Good! 

May they soon begin to work 
In every neighborhood! 




86 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN KOBOLD 

Look at these little Kobolds! Aren’t they 
funny little fellows? They are playing 
fairy music. 

They are little house fairies. They are 
cousins to the Brownies, Nisses, Tomtes, 
and Goblins. 

The Kobolds are little German or Swiss 
house fairies. They live in Germany and 
Switzerland. They are called house fairies 
because they like best to live in a house. 

Kobolds are little fairy men like their 
cousins. They are the Brownies of Ger¬ 
many and Switzerland. 

Some of these fairies have the faces of 
children, and some have the faces of old 
men. Kobolds nearly always wear blue 
trousers and red coats and red hats. They 
wear slippers of orange or black. 

The Kobold will live with good people 
only. He will not live with unpleasant 
people. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN KOBOLD 


87 



First he chooses some family with whom 
he wants to live. Then he makes a trial of 
the family to see if they are pleasant people. 

If they are pleasant he will come to live 
with them. He has a strange way to try 
whether they are pleasant or not. He 
brings chips and sawdust into the 
house and throws them on the floor. 

He does many other small things to 
see if the family will get angry. If they do 
not get angry and scold, he will come to 
live with them. 








BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Kobold will then stay as long as any 
member of the family lives. He takes care 
that no harm comes to that house. 

Like his cousins he will do all kinds of 
chores about the house and barn. The 
house and yard and garden must always 
be kept clean. 

No weeds can grow in the garden where 
Kobold lives. No trash can ever be seen 
about the yard. 

And the house must always be neat and 
clean. He delights to bake bread and all 
kinds of little cakes. 

He scours the pots and kettles, and 
cleans the pails and tubs. The only pay he 
asks is a bowl of soup or a bowl of milk 
and bread. 

He dislikes lazy and stingy people. 

Kobolds are happy fairies, and are much 
pleased with fine music. Some Kobolds are 
fine musicians. They can play well on the 
harp. 

Like other fairies they are invisible. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN KOBOLD 


89 


They do not like people to try to see them. 
Sometimes they show themselves to their 
friends they like most. 

Kobolds are very fond of little children. 
Often they play with the children and let 
the children see them. 

When big folks try to catch them it 
makes them angry. 

A nobleman once heard a Kobold talk¬ 
ing. It sounded as if the Kobold were in the 
cupboard. 

There were some jugs in the cupboard, 
and it sounded as if the Kobold were in 
one of the jugs. The nobleman thought 
that was his chance to catch a Kobold. 

Right quickly he put a stopper into the 
jug, but Kobold was too quick for him— 
he was not there. 

But this made Kobold very angry, for 
he didn’t want any one to try to catch him. 
He called out to the nobleman, “You will 
be sorry for what you have done. 

Shortly afterwards the nobleman was 


90 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


crossing a river on a foot bridge. Kobold 
caused the bridge to break, and the noble¬ 
man fell into the water. 

Just as the nobleman got out of the 
water, he heard some one laughing, but 
didn’t see anybody. Then Kobold cried 
out, “Do not try to catch a Kobold in a jug 
again, and foot bridges will be more safe 
for you.” 

Some people do not like to have a Ko¬ 
bold live with them, so they try to drive 
him away. This makes Kobold sad, for he 
wants them to like him, and treat him well. 

There is a story about a family that tried 
to drive a Kobold away from their home. 

They tried in many ways to get rid of 
him, but he would not leave. One night 
they heard him singing his song: 

“If you will let me stay, 

Good luck shall you have alway; 

But if hence you will me chase, 

Luck will ne’er come near the place.” 


BROWNIE CLOD 


91 


After they heard this song, they didn’t 
try any more to drive him away. 

Kobolds have travelled all over the 
world. They live in every country now. 

Many Kobolds have come to America. 
They live here together with the Brownies, 
Nisses, Tomtes and Goblins. They are all 
happy in their work together. 


BROWNIE CLOD 

There once lived a very interesting 
Brownie by the name of Brownie Clod. He 
made his home with a very rich farm 
family. 

He was called Brownie Clod because he 
had a habit of throwing clods. 

Brownie Clod was like some boys, for 
he couldn’t see a good clod but what he 
wanted to throw it. He would gather a 
number of clods, and hide in the shrubbery 
along the road. 


92 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


When people passed, he would throw 
clods at them, but never hit them. He did 
not want to hurt any one, but he liked to 
see them look around. 

Sometimes he would throw a clod and 
knock a boy’s cap off. It amused Brownie 
Clod to see the boy pick up his cap and 
run. 

He would throw some more clods, and 
very nearly hit the boy, to make him run 
faster. 

When a farmer would drive along in a 
wagon he would throw clods against the 
wagon-box. This would make a loud 
noise, and make the farmer look around. 

Then Brownie Clod would let fly an¬ 
other clod that would pass within about 
two inches of the farmer’s head. 

The farmer would think 7 some boy was 
throwing, and drive rapidly. 

Brownie Clod made his home in the cel¬ 
lar of the farm house most of the time. He 
took it upon himself to see that the cellar 



wine and cider kept in the cellar. These 
caused him a great deal of trouble. 

So many times one of these kegs would 
get to leaking. He would have to stick his 
finger or his toe into the hole to stop the 
leak. 



94 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


He would have to stand there till some¬ 
body came and fixed it. Sometimes no one 
would come for two or three days. 

He would have to stand there all that 
time, and he did not like it. 

It was the cook’s place to see that the 
faucets were all tight. 

So Brownie Clod became angry at the 
cook. The cook also neglected to leave any¬ 
thing good for him to eat. 

One night she left only a piece of her¬ 
ring and some cold potatoes. He decided 
to punish her. 

He caused her to have such unpleasant 
dreams that she walked in her sleep, and 
slid down stairs. 

She knew that it was Brownie Clod that 
had caused her this trouble. 

She decided to drive him away from 
that house. She scattered a lot of grass 
seed around on the basement floor. 

Now Brownie likes to have everything 
in order, and he will not stay at a place if 


BROWNIE CLOD 


95 



“Have to stand there all that time” 


things are not kept that way. 

The cook very well knew this, and 
thought Brownie Clod would leave rather 
than pick up so much grass seed. 

Brownie looked around at the seed a 
long time, and was very sad, but he liked 











96 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

his home, and he would not move. So he 
began to pick up the grass seed. All the 
time he was picking it up he kept saying: 

“Woe’s me! Woe’s me! 

The acorn is not yet 
Fallen from the tree, 

That’s to grow to the wood, 

That’s to make the cradle, 

That’s to rock the baby, 

That’s to grow to a cook, 

That’s to like me.” 

The cook listened, and heard what he 
was saying. She felt sorry for him, and 
treated him better after that. 

She would leave a bowl of bread and 
cream for Brownie instead of herring and 
cold potatoes. 

He in turn did his best to make himself 
very useful. Sometimes, when one of the 
maids was sick, he would wait on the table 
in the neatest manner. 


BROWNIE CLOD 


97 


He was an invisible waiter. Whatever 
was called for came as if floating through 
the air. 

Each thing just came down in the right 
place without any noise at all. 

Brownie Clod liked once in a while to 
play a good joke. 

Two of the maids were once sitting on 
the dark porch eating a bowl of bread and 
cream. 

In their haste they had brought but one 
spoon with them. So, placing the bowl be¬ 
tween them, they ate by turns. 

‘Tve had but three bites,” cried one. 

‘Tve had but one bite,” said the other. 

“Ha, ha, ha!” cried a third voice, 
“Brownie has got the most of it.” 

Brownie it was who had placed himself 
between them and gotten two bites to their 
one. 

The farmer with whom Brownie Clod 
lived liked to play checkers, but he was 
not a very good player. Brownie Clod was 


98 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 



“So this farmer became a great checker player” 


a fine player, and liked the game very 
much. When he stood by the farmer, and 
helped him, no one else could win a game. 
So this farmer became known as a great 
checker player. 









BROWNIE CLOD 


99 


But he could never win any games un¬ 
less Brownie was with him. 

Many times some of the farm people 
would come home late at night when the 
house was dark. They would run against a 
chair or table and make a lot of noise. Or 
they might trip on the stairs, and make so 
much noise as to wake people up. 

When asked about it the next morning 
they would always say that Brownie Clod 
did it. So Brownie Clod got the blame for 
a good many things he never did. 

He didn’t like to be blamed in this way 
either. He would set about to punish those 
that blamed him. 

They would find their work harder the 
next day. They would find things out of 
place, and the work wouldn’t go just right. 

One of the men on the farm had an old 
green coat and a red hood. Brownie Clod 
took a great liking to this hood and coat. 

He wanted them for himself, but he 
would not ask for them. The owner knew 


100 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

he wanted them, but it would not do to offer 
them to him. 

Brownie told the farm men he would 
help them do the winter’s threshing. The 
men knew he wanted to work for the old 
coat and hood. So the men got things 
ready for Brownie to do the threshing. 

He worked fast and hard. 

And the men had nothing to do but lie 
on the straw and watch him. The men 
thought more and more of Brownie Clod 
because he was such a good worker. 

Before Brownie finished the threshing 
the weather got very cold. The men 
thought he ought to have the coat and 
hood. 

They laid them out and called to him 
that he might have them. As soon as he 
caught sight of them, he quit work, and 
cried out: 

“Brownie has got a hood and coat, 

And never more will work a jot.” 


FIDDLEBOW AND LITTLEHOE 


101 


He ran to the house, and would not 
thresh any more flax or wheat. The men 
tried hard to get him back to work, but he 
would not go. 

So Brownie Clod is still there at the same 
farm house, and watches everything in the 
same way he used to. 

He still goes out and hides behind the 
shrubbery along the road. And he still 
frightens the boys and farmers by throwing 
clods at them. 

FIDDLEBOW AND LITTLEHOE 

Happy Brownie Fiddlebow, 

And jolly Brownie Littlehoe, 

Were spry little Swiss sprites, 

Who had danced ten thousand nights. 

Over into France, 

They dearly loved to dance; 

Then to our land they came, 

And here they dance the same. 


102 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


They dance upon the hills. 
They dance upon the rills; 
They delight tens and dozens 
Of their little Brownie cousins. 


BROWNIE LITTLEHAT 

There once lived a wonderful little 
Brownie by the name of Littlehat. 

This Brownie was a most beautiful little 
fairy. He was about as large as a two-year- 
old boy. 

He had a very strange, beautiful fairy 
face. Long yellow curls hung over his 
shoulders. 

He always wore a beautiful red silk coat. 
This coat was really only a little short 
jacket. 

But the most wonderful part of his dress 
was his queer little pointed red hat. This 
little pointed red hat was all covered with 
strange and beautiful little fairy pictures. 


BROWNIE LITTLEHAT 


103 



So this little red coated Brownie was al¬ 
ways called Littlehat. Littlehat lived in an 
old castle that stood on the high bank of 
a beautiful river. 

A nobleman 
and his large fam¬ 
ily also lived in 
this old castle. 

Although Little- 
hat lived there 
many years he 
was seen only a 
very few times by 
grown people. 

One of the 
cooks of the cas¬ 
tle happened to 
be born on Sun¬ 
day so she was given the power to see Lit¬ 


tlehat. 

When the children were playing in the 
castle grounds Littlehat would often ap¬ 
pear among them. He would let himself 


104 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


be seen by the children. He would talk to 
them. 

He knew all the children’s games ever 
thought of. He taught them to play many 
games and to sing many fairy songs. 

When the children returned to the castle 
they never tired of talking about the 
strange little boy with the red coat and 
the pointed red hat. 

After Littlehat had been to play with 
them, they would rush into the house and 
shout, “Littlehat came again, and oh, we 
had so much fun!” 

Here is one of the songs he taught the 
children to sing and act out: 

“My thumb, my thumb, 

And my elbow are two. 

Here comes a cat 
And a kangaroo. 

“The kangaroo jumped 
And jumped so high, 


BROWNIE LITTLEHAT 


105 


He pushed a hole 

Clear through the sky. 

“The cat danced a jig, 

And bowed, ‘How d’ do!’ 

Then jumped through the sky 
After kangaroo.” 

Littlehat had a room in the attic of the 
castle. He had only three pieces of furni¬ 
ture in his room. 

First, there was a little armchair. He 
plaited this little armchair all over very 
neatly with straw. 

He used straw of different colors and 
wove in many handsome figures and 
crosses. Everybody who saw this chair 
thought it was beautiful and wonderful. 

The second piece of furniture was a lit¬ 
tle round table which stood in the center 
of the room. From this table Littlehat ate 
his milk and bread. 

The third piece of furniture was a bed. 


106 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Now this bed never looked as if any one 
had slept in it. There was only a very small 
depression as if a cat had lain there. 

Sometimes the little armchair would 
rock but nobody could be seen in it. 

The cook prepared a bowl of sweet milk 
and crumbs of wheaten bread every day, 
and placed it upon the little table. 

In a short time the bowl would be found 
empty. Littlehat was a very polite and a 
busy little worker. He used to toil every 
night in the kitchen. 

If the cook was very tired in the evening 
she left the plates and dishes lying in a heap 
without being washed. 

The next morning they would be all nice 
and clean, shining like looking-glasses, and 
put up in their proper places. 

Littlehat had been there and had put 
everything in order. If anything was lost 
Littlehat found it, and gave it back to its 
owner. Littlehat was just as busy in the 
barn. 


BROWNIE LITTLEHAT 


107 



He took care of the horses, and curried 
them carefully. Their coats soon became as 
smooth as an eel. 

In fact, they im¬ 
proved so much, in no 
time, that everybody 
wondered at 
it. 

Little hat 


“He had only three pieces of furniture” 







108 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


watched over the men and the maids about 
the castle. He saw that they did their work 
well. 

They knew he would punish them if they 
did not. If they did their work well, they 
would have pleasant dreams and good luck. 

If they did their work poorly, they 
would have unpleasant dreams and bad 
luck. 

For many years Littlehat lived in this 
castle. He lived there till all the children 
grew to be men and women. 

The nobleman and his family were al¬ 
ways happy. They always had good luck. 
They ever lived in peace and comfort. 

At last Littlehat decided to leave. He 
wanted to go to another castle where there 
were small children. 

So he went to the nobleman and said, “I 
am going away, so I will make you some 
presents. Take care of them and let them 
remind you of me.” 

He then handed the nobleman a little 



“I will make you some presents’’ 





































no 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


cross, the length of a finger. It was hollow 
within, and jingled when it was shaken. 

Secondly, he gave him a straw hat, 
which he had made himself. In this 
hat he had woven strange forms and fig¬ 
ures in straw of many colors. 

Thirdly, he gave the nobleman a glove 
set with pearls, which formed wonderful 
figures. 

Then Littlehat said to the nobleman, 
“So long as you keep these three things to¬ 
gether, and keep them in your family, so 
long will your family have good fortune. 
But if these presents are divided, lost, or 
wasted, your family will meet with unhap¬ 
piness and ill luck.” 

So saying, Littlehat at once disap¬ 
peared. And the nobleman and his fam¬ 
ily always carefully kept the cross, the 
straw hat, and the glove. 

They never let them be separated. And 
good fortune and happiness followed them 
all the days of their lives. 


LITTLEHAT AND BRITTLEBAT 


111 


And they still have the cross, the straw 
hat, and the glove, for all I know, and are 
still as happy as ever Littlehat wished them 
to be. 


LITTLEHAT AND BRITTLEBAT 

Littlehat and Brittlebat 
Dwelt upon the Rhine; 

They liked to live in Germany— 
They thought it very fine. 

They heard about America, 

Then the Rhine wouldn’t do; 
They didn’t care for old things, 
They wanted something new. 

They left the old castles; 

They left the German Rhine; 
And came to America, 

Where they have a happy time. 


112 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


“This country suits me,” 
Said Brownie Littlehat; 
“I know of no place better,” 
Said Brownie Brittlebat. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN LUTIN 

We shall now take a peep at the little 
Lutins. They are very delightful little 
fairies. 

The Lutin is only a foot and a half or 
two feet tall. He is another one of the little 
house fairies. 

He is another cousin to the Brownies, 
Goblins, Tomtes, Nisses and Kobolds. 

These house fairies are all very much 
alike. They are all good fairies, for they 
try to make people better and happier. 
They are all hard workers, and do not like 
lazy people. 

The Lutin is a gaily dressed little fellow. 
He likes to wear red, white, gray, green, 


BROWNIE'S COUSIN LUTIN 113 



“A peep at the little Lutins” 


blue, black and yellow. He likes fine clothes. 

The Lutin lives in France. He is a little 
French house fairy. He is a little French 
Brownie. He has travelled to many dif¬ 
ferent countries. 

Many Lutins have come to America. 
Lutins, Goblins, Brownies, Tomtes, Nisses 
and Kobolds all live together here in 
America. 

What a happy lot of little fellows they 


114 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

are! We like to have them all here with us. 

The Lutin, like all of his cousins, is in¬ 
visible. It is said if one should put a four¬ 
leaved clover and nine grains of wheat 
under his hat, he might be able to see a 
Lutin. 

He would be almost sure to see a num¬ 
ber of them if it were Friday night, the 
thirteenth of the month, and the moon were 
shining bright. 

The Lutin likes to take up his home 
where there are many children. Children 
are his special care, and he sees that they 
are well watched over. 

He brings them rosy dreams at night 
and makes them happy all day long. He 
helps them in their games, and sees that 
they do not get hurt. 

'The Lutin is a great lover of horses. 
The horses will always be fed and taken 
care of in the barn where he lives. He likes 
to brush and braid the horse’s tail and 
mane. 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN LUTIN 


115 



He likes to ride on the horse’s neck. 
First, he ties together part of the horse’s 
mane for stirrups. Then he sits astride of 
the horse’s neck with his feet in these 
hair stirrups. 

Sometimes a number of Lutins may be 
seen riding one horse—three or four on his 




116 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


neck, and five or six on his back. They are 
good horsemen, for they can ride stand¬ 
ing up as well as sitting astride. 

Lutins like to see the children go horse¬ 
back riding. If there is no horse handy, the 
Lutin will turn himself into a horse and let 
the children ride him. 

The Lutin takes special care of the 
goats, cattle, and sheep. He combs the 
billy-goat’s whiskers every Saturday night 
so he will look pretty on Sunday. 

He sees that the cattle, sheep and goats 
are driven to the pastures, and watched so 
that no harm may come to them. 

There is a story of a Lutin who was 
called Jack-of-the-Bowl. The reason he 
was called Jack-of-the-Bowl was that he 
liked a bowl of sweet cream so well. 

He lived in a house in the mountains. 
Every morning he took the cows up the 
side of the mountain to their pasture. 

He always rode on the back of one of 
the cows. He took care that they did not 


BROWNIE’S COUSIN LUTIN 117 

slip and fall down the hill and get hurt. 

When it was evening Jack-of-the-Bowl 
would seat himself upon the back of a cow 
and bring them all home. Every night he 
would find a bowl of fresh cream on the 
roof of the cow-house. 

This was just what he liked and all the 
pay he asked. In fact most boys and girls 
would like to play Jack-of-the-bowl awhile 
if that would bring them a bowl of fresh 
sweet cream. 

It is said that the Lutin is very rich. 
There never was any money lost but what 
he knows where it is. 

Lost money is what has made the Lutin 
his fortune. Lutin money is that which has 
been lost and forgotten about a long time. 

He will appear at night to some of his 
special friends, and motion to them to fol¬ 
low him. If they are not afraid, and fol¬ 
low him, he will lead them to a fortune. 
Stories are told about people who have got¬ 
ten very rich in this way. 


118 BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 

There is a story about a family that 
didn’t like the Lutin who lived with them. 
This little Lutin’s name was Needlekey. 
He was a very sharp little fellow. 

The family tried in many ways to drive 
him away, but he would not leave. So they 
decided to move away themselves, and 
leave him in the house alone. 

They finally got everything loaded on 
carts ready to move. 

The last cart-load was filled with empty 
barrels and suchlike. 

When they were just starting to drive 
with the last load, Needlekey cried out from 
one of the barrels, “Here, master! here we 
all go together!” 

“What!” said the master, “are you going, 
also?” 

“Yes, to be sure, master,” said Needle¬ 
key, “here we go, all together.” 

“In that case, friend,” replied the master, 
“let the carts be unloaded; we are just as 
well where we are.” 


SIX LITTLE BROWNIE COUSINS 


119 


SIX LITTLE BROWNIE COUSINS 

Six little Brownie cousins 
All on a summer night, 

Went out to take a ride, 

While the moon was shining bright. 


They caught their fairy ponies, 
And mounted on their backs; 
They galloped over fences, 

And over haystacks. 


They galloped through the forest, 
They galloped through the glen; 
It was a merry ride 
For the little fairy men. 


They came to the bank 
Of a very large river; 

This made them stop, 

Or they’d galloped on forever. 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


TWEEDLEDEE AND NEEDLEKEY 

Tweedledee and Needlekey 
Were Brownies very small— 
Little French Brownies 
Nearly two feet tall. 


Said Brownie Tweedledee, 

“I like to live in France.” 
Said Brownie Needlekey, 

“I like to skip and dance.” 


“We’ll comb the goat’s beard, 
So handsome he shall be, 
When walking he does go,” 
Said Brownie Tweedledee. 


“Yes, every Saturday night, 

His beard we shall comb; 

Then every Sunday morn, 

Forth handsome he may roam.” 


THE BROWNIES AND THE HUNCHBACKS 


121 


“There’s much work to do; 

Right useful we can be, 
Every night and every day,” 
Said Brownie Needlekey. 


THE BROWNIES AND THE 
HUNCHBACKS 

Many years ago there lived a gay little 
hunchback by the name of Jeanie, or Little 
Jean as he was often called. 

He was a very sweet singer, and could 
play beautifully upon the guitar. 

He was known by a great many people 
on account of his fine singing and playing. 
When he sang and played the birds would 
gather around to listen to him. 

He made his living with his voice and 
his guitar. When fine music was wanted 
anywhere in the neighborhood, Jeanie was 
always there to furnish it. 

He was a great favorite at weddings. 


122 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


No wedding was complete without Little 
Jean being there to furnish the music. 

Although Jeanie was a little crippled 
hunchback, he had a smiling face and a 
pleasant word for everybody. His happy 
voice and face and pleasant manners made 
him a favorite everywhere. 

One evening he went to play and sing 
for a wedding, and started home very late 
at night. His way home was along a path 
through a deep forest. 

The path was very rough, for it ran 
along the side of a mountain. The night 
was so dark, and Jeanie was so sleepy, that 
he lost his way. 

As it was a warm summer night he 
didn’t mind it much. He thought he would 
just lie down and sleep till morning. Then 
he could easily find his way home. 

He wrapped his cloak about him, and 
lay down at the foot of a large tree. He did 
not have to be rocked to sleep, for in only 
a twinkling he was in rosy slumbers. 


THE BROWNIES AND THE HUNCHBACKS 123 

Now this was a big hollow tree at the 
foot of which he was lying. And it hap¬ 
pened that a number of Brownies were 
making their home in this tree. 

Jeanie had only just gone to sleep, when 
he was awakened by the sound of a number 
of little voices singing. These were the 
Brownies’ voices, and they were singing 
to an old tune which Jeanie well knew. 

He listened very closely to make out 
what the words were. Soon he understood 
very clearly, and this is what he heard: 

“Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday 
fine. 

These are good days three.” 

They kept singing this over and over 
again. Jeanie did not think this song com¬ 
plete, so he struck in, adding: 

“Thursday and Friday and Saturday shine, 
Six days for you and me.” 


124 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


The little folk were quite delighted, and 
for hours the mountains rang with: 

“Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday 
fine, 

^ These are good days three; 

Ihursday and Friday and Saturday shine, 
Six days for you and me.” 

The little Brownies were much charmed 
by little Jean’s voice, and very delighted 
because he had completed their song. 

Finally they crowded around him to 
take a look at him. They bade him ask 
what he would, for having completed their 
song so beautifully. 

After thinking a short time, he begged 
to have his hump removed from his back. 
So said, so done; he was at once one of the 
straightest little men in all that neighbor¬ 
hood. 

On his return home, everybody was sur¬ 
prised at the wonderful change in him. 


THE BROWNIES AND THE HUNCHBACKS 125 



“So said, so done” 


The story was told far and near. Jeanie’s 
wonderful change was the talk of all of his 
friends. 

The story was soon heard by another 
hunchback, who was called Little Jack. 




126 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


Now Little Jack was unlike Little Jean. 

Nobody liked Little Jack for he never 
smiled, and hardly ever spoke a kind word. 
He was just as crooked in his temper as he 
was in his body. 

But as soon as he heard the story of Lit¬ 
tle Jean he decided to try his luck. He soon 
found the right place, and sat under the 
large hollow tree. 

He did not have long to wait till he 
heard the fairies singing. He listened 
closely. He understood clearly the words 
of the song. 

They were singing the same song they 
sang with Little Jean. They made the 
woods fairly ring with: 


“Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday 
fine, 

These are good days three; 

Thursday and Friday and Saturday shine, 
Six days for you and me.” 


THE BROWNIES AND THE HUNCHBACKS 127 

Little Jack was so delighted that he had 
found the fairies, that his heart beat within 
him like a lambkin’s tail. 

He decided he also would add to the 
song. In a harsh, ugly voice, he struck in 
with: 


“And Sunday also!” 

But this did not rhyme with the fine 
song the Brownies were singing, and 
neither did he have the right tune. In fact, 
his voice was so ugly and harsh that it 
spoiled their song. 

They knew at once he was an ill-tem¬ 
pered little good-for-nothing. It made them 
angry to have him spoil their fine song. 

They crowded around him and pinched 
him and switched him soundly. 

And in order to punish him some more 
they took Little Jean’s hump and placed it 
on his back just below his own hump. 

They thought such a little sour faced, 


128 


BUSY LITTLE BROWNIES 


ill-tempered fellow ought to have two 
humps on his back instead of one. 

Then they pinched him again, and gave 
him another sound switching, and started 
him for home. 



This book we’ve read, 
And so have you; 

We like it well, 

And hope you do. 






























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































